Winter 2014

Flood—the other “F” word? By Lorne Fitch, Cows and Fish.

Gordon Lightfoot, the icon of Canadian folk music, intones,

“When the skies of November turn gloomy” as a warning to

ships plying the waters of Lake Superior, even big iron ore

carriers. In land locked and generally water short Alberta,

Lightfoot’s words don’t have the same cachet, but recent

storm events have begun to sensitize us.

The floods of 1995, 2002, 2005 and now 2013 have made us

start to search the skies of May and June for signs of

impending doom. Spring rain used to fill our prairie souls

with joy; now the same rain, especially when it persists for

days, fills us with a sense of angst.

With recent experiences we’ve started to look at a flood as the

other “F” word. Are we justified in thinking of this

phenomenon in such harsh terms?

Read more at: http://www.battleriverwatershed.ca/Flood-Article

What’s the fuss about wetlands? Historically, wetlands have had a bad reputation of being spaces which harbor mosquitos and decrease agricultural land

value. However, a closer look reveals that wetlands have plenty to offer. Wetlands:

A. Clean Water. The plants, soils, bacteria and animals in wetlands help clean water before it reaches your tap.

B. Provide Wildlife Habitat for thousands of species of plants & animals.

C. Reduce Flooding. Wetlands act like a giant sponge, absorbing and storing excess water.

D. Minimize Drought. When times are dry, wetlands release water they’ve stored into surrounding areas.

E. Are Recreational Spots. Activities such as hiking, fishing and canoeing are enjoyed in wetlands.

F. Clear Lakes. Wetlands capture phosphorus which could otherwise cause harmful algae blooms in our lakes.

G. Reduced Erosion. Wetlands trap sediment and reinforce soil to help prevent erosion.

H. Trap and Store Carbon, making them a beneficial method to reducing Climate Change.

I. Offer Learning Experiences as outdoor classrooms for a future generation of stewards.

Across the prairies, up to 70% of all wetlands have been drained. The 2014 Rolling down the River Cycling Tour will raise

awareness and funding for wetland preservation across the Lake Winnipeg Basin. For more information on the bike ride, see

page 2. (Source: Ducks Unlimited)

Self-drought: The influence of media framing

on drought resilience in Alberta Thesis by Susanna Bruneau,

MA Environmental Education and Communication

In December, I completed my Masters of Arts in

Environmental Education and Communication through

Royal Roads University. The BRWA sponsored my work

for the program.

My thesis investigates how media portrayal of drought in

the Battle River watershed influences public perception

and perceived efficacy regarding drought, and how these

influence drought adaptation and resilience.

This impacts how the BRWA communicates with the

public about these issues. Communicating a more

integrated worldview of social, ecological, and economic

systems that appeals to people’s value systems can more

effectively empower and engage the public to enable

change.

OTIS Award Winners

The BRWA proudly presents the OTIS award to these Outstanding Stewards of our watershed.

Box 16 Gateway Centre, 4825-51 St. Camrose AB. T4V 1R9

1-888-672-0276 • battle.river@gmail.com • www.battleriverwatershed.ca

Rolling Down the River - Lake Winnipeg Basin Ride for Wetlands

Rolling down the River is an active educational event to encourage Whole Health – the health of ourselves, our

communities and our watersheds. This will be the tour’s third year. However, this will be the first time the

cyclists will travel all the way to Lake Winnipeg.

Commencing on July 7, 2014, the ‘Watershed Streamers’ will cycle six days across the prairies to the shores of

Lake Winnipeg in Gimli, MB. Teamwork is key on this tour. The cyclists will be covering over 200 kilometers

a day and will be expected to work in teams to leap-frog with a shared vehicle.

The tour will be raising awareness of and funding for wetland preservation across the Lake Winnipeg Basin. The

basin is home to over 7 million people and drains an area of almost one million square kilometers. The tour is

open to Lake Winnipeg Basin community members and supporters of the Battle River Watershed Alliance. The

BRWA will offer organizational and technical support to up to 20 cyclists on the journey.

For more information visit www.battleriverwatershed.ca/bike-tour or call the office.

Great work friends! Your

stewardship efforts for

our communities don’t

go unnoticed!

Youth Category:

Maven Boddy and the

Golden Prairie 4H club

for their Riparian

Restoration Project.

Individual Category:

Mike Black for

Stewardship of Battle

Lake and Mount Butte.

Business/Organization

Category:

Lacombe County for

their environmental

management work.

CARING FOR OUR WATERSHEDS– Funding for clubs and student groups!

The Caring for our Watersheds program invites students in grades 7-12 who are involved in extra-curricular

clubs such as 4H or Junior Forest Wardens to tell us what they would do to improve their watershed.

Students can win up to $1,000 for their ideas, and win a matching prize

amount for their club or school! Additional funding is available for

students or clubs who would like to make their ideas a reality!

Students enter by submitting a proposal on their idea to improve their

watershed at CaringForOurWatersheds.com. Guidelines at tips for

success can also be found on the website.

Get your feet wet with

some watershed learning!

BO

ARD

O

F D

IRECTO

RS

Coming Events

Beautiful Winter – January 19th, Stoney Creek

Centre Camrose. In partnership with ALL (Association

for Life-Wide Living) we will be hosting celebrations of

winter!

You Are What You Drink: Source Water Protection

Workshops – See page 3 for all the details.

Family Fishing Weekend– No permit Required. Feb

15-17th, across AB. MyWildAlberta.ca

World Water Day. March 18th 2104. Find a local

event at www.canadawaterweek.com/events

Earth Matters Conference– April 24-25, Canmore

A conference for Environmental Educators hosted by the

ACEE. More info: abcee.org/conference

Caring for our Watersheds Final Competition- May

3rd, Reynolds-Alberta Museum, Wetaskiwin. Cheer

on the student finalist of this contest.

Water Ceremony –May 10th, 2014. On the banks of

the Battle River near Maskwacis, celebrate the Battle and

the watershed with a traditional Cree ceremony. This is

the third of four ceremonies.

For more information on these and all of our events,

visit the News and Events page on our website, or

contact the office at 1-888-672-0276. We can also be

found on Facebook and Twitter!

“Did You Know?”

Snow provides the Battle River and Sounding

Creek watersheds with much needed moisture.

The amount of water flowing through the Battle

River is highest during spring runoff in April

and May. Additionally, water stored during

spring run-off is then released throughout the

rest of the year.

So the next time it snows, smile! That snow will

be providing us with water throughout the

coming year.

BOARD MEMBER: Midge Lambert Our Vice Chair Midge has been with the BRWA

since 2007. Growing up in Consort, Midge is very

familiar with our watersheds, and now enjoys a

beautiful view of the Battle River from her home in

the river valley near Kelsey.

Midge enjoyed an active career catering and cooking,

working across western Canada from movie sets to

forestry camps. She still loves to cook and has been

one of the amazing chefs feeding the Battle River Streamers during

the Rolling Down the River cycling tours.

Midge is passionate about local politics and rural Alberta and was

the Alberta Party candidate for the Battle River-Wainwright

constituency in 2013. She continues to work with the Party and

encourages everyone to get involved in their local communities.

Academia

John Pattison - University of Alberta

Agriculture

Verna Phippen - Landowner

Wayne Richardson - Landowner

Business/Industry

Barb Bosh - ATCO Power

Environmental Groups

Lorne Ferguson - Friends of Little Beaver

Lake, Treasurer

Diane Hanson - Alberta Rural Sustainable

Alternatives Network

Individual

Hugh Sanders - Chairperson

Midge Lambert - Vice Chairperson

Al Corbett - Resident

Municipal Government

Bruce Cummins - MD of Wainwright

Jordon Christianson - Special Areas 2

Provincial/Federal Government

Greg Nelson - Alberta Environment &

Sustainable Resource Development

Shane Mascarin - Department of National

Defense